Exam preparation
The RCOphth website examinations page has detailed information and resources on all the college examinations. There are details on exam timetables, cost of exams and what part of the curriculum is examined in each examination. It is recommended that you have go through these resources throoughlly if you are preparing for any of the RCOphth examinations.
On this webpage we share resources that previous examination candidates have found useful whilst preparing for their exams.
We now have two new RCOphth Exam Leads for our region - Mr Andrew Chung (MidYorks) and Mr Fahd Quhill (Sheffield). If you are registered to sit an exam soon, please make yourself known to them so that they can support your preparation.
The FRCOphth part 1 tests your knowledge of basic science. Familiarise yourself with the information on the examination page of RCOphth, this has detailed information on what you need to know. The following resources are useful:
Books
The Eye: Basic Sciences in Practice by J.Forrester
Clinical Anatomy of the Eye by R.Snell
Adler's Physiology of the Eye by L.Levin
MCQs for FRCOphth and ICO Basic Sciences Examinations by S.Trikha
Clinical Optics by A.R Elkington
Smartphone apps
Websites
MRCOphth - This has a large bank of basic science questions and it is also a good resource for pathology images and MCQs.
EyeDocs - This is a question bank with give you 50 free MCQs. The premium paid membership allows access to > 2000 questions.
Podcasts
RCOphth refraction certificate page clearly lays out the format of the exam.
Make sure you read ALL the further information at the bottom of the webpage "Information pack" and "Instructions for Candidates". Also familiarise yourself with the mark sheet as this is how you will be expected to present your work on the day of the examination.
Look over the resources below for background theory and understanding the steps required in each station.
Talk to trainees who have recently passed the exam and ask their advice.
Locate people in your department who can help you acquire these practical skills - Opticians, orthoptists etc.
Having another local trainee who is also sitting the exam is very useful as you can practice and hone your skills together.
Watch out for time! - be aware of your time allocation and what is expected from you in each station, remember to also give yourself time to document your findings. We recommend once your retinoscopy skills are improving you should practice with these same time constraints.
Main advice - Practice, Practice, Practice!! Not only does it improve your confidence in that you can get an adequate refraction in the allocated time frame but if your examination is slick and well rehearsed the examiner will clearly be able to see you have done this before, likely many times.
The following resources hace been useful for previous candidates:
Resources
Essential read: Rcophth refraction information and Refraction and Retinoscopy: How to Pass the Refraction Certificate (Masterpass)
Online resources: https://timroot.com/retinoscopy-workshop-video/
The written component of th FRCOphth aims to test your knowlage on the ophthalmology curriculum. It is important you farmilarise yourself with the information guides on the examination section. This has detailed information of what you can expect to be test on. The written examination tests your breath and depth of knowledge of ophthalmology. The following resources have been used by previous candiates.
RCOphth Resources
Farmilarise yourself with key guidelines published by RCOphth. These can be found in the Clinical guidelines page
Books
The following books are written specifically for the FRCOphth and are a useful resource for revision.
Frcophth Part 2 Mcqs by J Tagal
EMQS and MCQS for the FRCOphth Part 2 by P Chiam
Online Resources
e-LfH Hub is an elearning resource provided by Health Education England. There is an ophthalmology module called Eye-site. This resource contains a wealth of information on the entire ophthalmology training curriculum.
Sucess in MRCOphth is an online resource that has useful information for preparing for both the written and oral component of the FRCOphth part 2.
Question banks
EyeQ by eyedocs is an online paid question bank that contains 3,800 questions and caters well for the FRCOphth part 2 written examinations.
Ophthoquestions: This is an online paid question bank. It is largerly geared towards the ophthalmology examination in the U.S.A but previous candidates have found this resource useful.
The oral component of the FRCOphth examination aims to ensure candidates meet the standard to practice at the level of a general ophthalmology specialist. It is important you farmilarise yourself with information on the examination section of RCOphth. This has detailed information the structure of the examination and what to expect from the exam. Top tip for your examination preparation is: Practice, Practice and Practice. You will be required to demonstrate your clinical knowladge and clinical skills. You will be required to demonstrate your ability to examine patients appropriately, pick up relevant clinical findings, interprete your findings and apply your knowladge to formulate a management plan. You should practice your clinical examination skills until it becomes second nature to you. It will be very useful for you to practice with other trainees who are sitting the exams. It is useful to have someone watch you performing a clinical examination; this could be a consultant or a collegue. This provides useful feedback on how you can imporve. You should also practice how you will present your examination findings to the examiner. Speak to trainees who have passed the exams, you will undoubtly learn a lot from their experience.
The following resources have been useful to previous examination candidates:
RCOphth Resources
Farmilarise yourself with key guidelines published by RCOphth. These can be found in the Clinical guidelines page
The ophthalmic services section has guidelines that will be useful for preparing for topics that may be asked in the viva section.
The college regularly published focus articles which aim to provide succinct topical information around impoartnat issues for clinical practive. These articles are commissioned by the college and written by renowned experts.
Guidelines and Landmark studies
Eyeguru.org: Landmark trials in ophthalmology
Eyedocs: Classic Ophthalmology Studies
The evidence and guidelines page of Birmingham & Midland eye center have numerous resources on NICE and RCOphth guidelines and summary of landmark trials in various subspecialities
Books
Oxford handbook of ophthalmology by A Denniston
Practical Guide To VIVA And OSCE In Ophthalmology Examinations by T.Wong
Examination Techniques and Cases for final MRCOphth & MRCS by C. Chua
Handbook of clincal trials in ophthalmology by A.K Gupta: This book provides a comprehensive summary of trials in ophthalmology.
Online Resources
e-LfH Hub is an elearning resource provided by Health Education England. There is an ophthalmology module called Eye-site. This resource contains a wealth of information on the entire ophthalmology training curriculum.
Sucess in MRCOphth is an online resource that has useful information for preparing for both the written and oral component of the FRCOphth part 2. Although it created for the old examination style, the content is still very valid for the current exam format and this is a useful tool for exam preparation.
Courses
Advanced Ophthalmology Clinical Examination Skills Course: This is a YH deanery course that usually takes place in Sheffield. This one day course aims to provide key elements adn skills for preparing for the exams. It is a very practical course with the morning session consisting of short lectures given by consultants; many of whom are past examiners. The afternoon session consits of a mock osces and viva station. The mock OSCES session will give you a real feel of what to expect from the exams. Candidates are given detaield feedback at the end of the session. Keep an eye on the study day sections for future dates of this course
There are other non-deanery course available. Please see the revision course page of RCOphth for more details.